The war was also a turning point for three men, each of whom had his own vision for the future of China. During the war, all eyes, whether admiring or critical, were on Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang or Guomindang) Party. At the outbreak of war in 1937, almost everyone, even Chiang’s Communist enemies, acknowledged that he was the only figure who could represent all of China in its resistance to Japan. Chiang dreamed that the war might be a cleansing fire: China would rise from the ashes and become a sovereign, prosperous nation, able to take a leading role in
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